Two teens transform the tennis world

Teenagers Melanie Oudin and Yanina Wickmayer were a hit at the U.S. Open in New York last month, arriving as unseeded talents and emerging as legitimate competitors. Wickmayer went deepest in the Open draw but Oudin, sporting the word “Believe” on her shoes, generated huge shock waves.

In a recent profile of the two players, the New York Times headline read:  2 teenagers on the way up and aiming to stay there.

Unbelievably, Oudin, who hails from Georgia,  upset three Russian establishment figures at the Open  — Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova and Nadia Petrova — before falling to another teen, the 9th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki.  Wickmayer meanwhile reached the semifinals of the Grand Slam and went home a hero.

After her run at the Open,  the LA Times riffed off of Sinatra lyrics and said about Oudin:

“… She (came) to New York City to see whether she could make it there. Little did she know, thanks to television and the Internet, she would make it everywhere.”

Both Oudin and Wickmayer took time off after the Open to decompress and allow lingering leg injuries to heal. They’re both in Asia now trying to leverage their newfound success.

Earlier this week, Oudin suffered a loss at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo to the 35-year-old American veteran Jill Craybas  in the second round of qualifying.

Oudin, who turned 18 last week, admitted it’s hard going from playing really, really well in a major tournament to going back and having to qualify for a tournament. She realizes needs to get more experience  and better adjust to different atmospheres and different places.

Oudin now plays the qualifying tournament in Beijing while Wickmayer has made the main draw thanks to a wild card.

For both players, the tricky question is where do they go from here? The women’s game is suddenly much richer in talent with the comeback of Belgian powerhouses Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin.

For Wickmayer, she’s suddenly sharing the world stage with her heroes and compatriots. In fact last May, when Henin retired suddenly still ranked No. 1 in the world, Wickmayer — then a little known and outside the top 100 — suddenly became Belgium’s top women’s player.

Exceptional achievement for young players, however, is no guarantee of future success in tennis. In fact, many unseeded youngsters who make a Grand Slam breakthrough do not continue to kick down doors.

The NYT article cites Alexandra Stevenson, a Californian who reached the Wimbledon semifinals as an 18-year-old qualifier in 1999. She never made it past the second round in another major tournament as she struggled with mobility, consistency and injuries. Or Clarisa Fernández, an Argentine left-hander who beat Clijsters at age 20 on her way to the French Open semifinals in 2002 and never managed to beat another top 10 player.

Oudin is currently ranked 42nd with a convincing forehand and fine footwork (her backhand and serve however are both in need of improvement.) Wickmayer is 23rd with an impressive, aggressive power game that some say lacks variety and adaptability.

Wickmayer says she feels a lot stronger on the court than one or two years ago;  and that’s more important than being No. 1 in Belgium. She’s thinks it’s good Clijsters and Henin are back and they’ll be able to have a bit of competition among themselves.

Oudin is also excited about the playing field. Henin, who is of similar  height and build (5′6″), has long been her inspiration. The young Oudin has seen her play just once in person but now might get the opportunity to play against her in competition.  If the American player adapts and continues her upward trajectory, the Australian Open – where Henin plans to make her comeback – might be the stage for that match.

Oudini – American teen serves up magic at U.S. Open

Gritting her way through a shaky third set, 17-year-old Melanie Oudin from Marietta, Ga., pulled off her second upset of the Open on Saturday, defeating a more-seasoned and far more-famous opponent — former No. 1 Maria Sharapova. This victory coming just days after stunning No. 4 seed Elena Dementieva.

“I don’t even know what to say right now,” Oudin said, choking back tears in her postmatch interview with Mary Jo Fernandez in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “Thank you so much for cheering for me.” she said to the appreciative crowd of over 37,000 that included her boyfriend and her mom.

Sharapova, who has won the U.S. Open once, usually gets those cheers. But on this day in Queens, the fans were rooting for a new potential queen — the one who stamped the word “Believe” on her shoes and did just that.

Big day on the court for teen Melanie Oudin

In the first couple days of the U.S. Open we’ve seen a number of top seeds and former champions struggle.  Ranked No. 1 a year ago, Ana Ivanovic,  currently ranked No. 11, went down in defeat her first round and has since announced she’s going to temporarily take time off from the game.

It’s always fun to watch upsets and underdogs. Especially fun when the underdog doing the upsetting is a girl still in high school. That’s what happened when American teenager Melanie Oudin shocked fourth seed Elena Dementieva at the U.S. Open  in the second round.

The Russian, one of the favorites for the title after an impressive summer, was out-hit and outplayed by the 17-year-old world number 70, who handed Dementieva her joint-earliest ever exit at Flushing Meadows.

Dementieva looked to have weathered an early storm when she took the first set but Oudin, who reached the last 16 at Wimbledon, stormed back to level the match.

Oudin had the trainer on after three games of the final set to treat a thigh strain but she held her nerve to set up a meeting with either 29th seed Maria Sharapova or another American, wildcard entry Christina McHale.

Oudin is one Pretty Tough player. Next up? Sharapova.

U.S. Open players step up the fashion game

The U.S. Open tennis tournament kicks off next week, and the competition is going to be fierce— both on the court and on the fashion front.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are collaborating with Nike on their respective clothing lines, and this year you’ll see  Fila-sponsored Kim Clijsters, Caroline Wozniacki wearing Stella McCartney and Vera Zvonareva wearing K-Swiss .

Here’s a sampling of U.S. Open looks that might catch your eye.

It’s not just the gals sporting new fashions for the Open. Rafa Nadal will wear Nike yellow and black in honor of New York City’s taxi cabs while Andy Murray will be sporting a Fred Perry ensemble in Scottish blue featuring a polo shirt and tailored white shorts.

And what will the always fashionable No. 1 seed Roger Federer be wearing? A red-and-black Nike collection featuring his monogrammed logo underneath the buttons on his polos.

Sharapova sparkles with Gehry-designed Tiffany

Last spring, Maria Sharapova and Tiffany & Co. launched a two year partnership. The Fifth Avenue jeweler announced they would outfit the top-ranked player in different pairs of earrings over a series of  Grand Slam tennis events, beginning with last summer’s U.S. Open.

During this year’s U.S. Open *beginning Aug. 31st) , Sharapova will wear Tiffany earrings especially designed by famed architect and designer Frank Gehry.

“The earrings have a distinctive shape that is like the fluid lines of Frank Gehry’s architecture. I am thrilled to wear these elegant earrings at the US Open.” Sharapova said.

Named Stria for it’s fine corrugated texture, the double drop design has a kinetic energy that complements Maria’s powerful playing style.

Maria’s interest in jewelry extends beyond collecting beautiful pieces.  She visited Mr. Gehry in his California studio to learn about his inspiration for the earrings and his ideas for creating them.

“I wanted to design earrings for Maria that were interesting yet light enough to wear during play,” the architect said. “It was a new idea inspired by corrugations, like a river or a waterfall.”

The complete collection of earrings, called Tiffany for Maria Sharapova,  captures her grace and allows fans access to pieces designed by and for the tennis great.

Get ready to crack open those piggy banks again.

Polo Ralph Lauren debuts U.S. Open Tennis Collection

With the U.S. Open tennis tournament quickly approaching (competition begins at the end of August), a number of questions are being lobbed around: Will defending champion Serena Williams make another run for the Grand Slam title? Will Maria Sharapova be ready to compete after her troublesome shoulder injury? Who will be ranked No. 1 going into the tournament?

One thing about the U.S. Open that remains certain is what the on-court officials will be wearing: Polo Ralph Lauren.

The fashion house, a sponsor of the hard-court tournament for the last five years, has just debuted the ball boys’ and girls’ outfits, which include red, white, and blue shirts and dresses that feature the label’s signature sportswear details, such as a large polo player and pony and a diagonal banner stripe on the front and back of the clothes.

Style meets performance at U.S. Open

Danish tennis sensation Caroline Wozniacki will represent the new fall/winter 2009 adidas by Stella McCartney tennis range at the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows.

Currently ranked No. 9 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Caroline has been selected to become the exclusive new face of the tennis line and will be playing in apparel and footwear from the distinctive sport performance collection at all upcoming tournaments starting with the U.S. Open.

Pretty Hot: Key silhouettes in the Tennis collection are inspired by college cheerleaders, featuring vibrant eighties inspired skirts combined with feminine rouching and gathering as well as elegant draped sleeves giving a sophisticated playful feel and an unexpected twist on and off the tennis court. The collection also includes adidas CLIMALITE® technology plus footwear including the Skynde shoe which features Barricade V tooling and technology.

Since 2007 Caroline Wozniacki has been part of the adidas Player Development Program, a service that helps nurture young tennis talent through a unique mix of advice and support, giving an extra helping hand towards building a successful career. Together with the player’s own coaching team, the adidas Player Development Program strives to complement with additional training services, advice and motivation.

The U.S. Open will take place August 31st – September 13th where Serena Williams will defend her title.

Video: It Must Be Love

In anticipation of the 2009 Olympus US Open Series and the 2009 US Open, meet some of the world’s top tennis players, including Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic talking about their lives and their loves.

Wimbledon – Williams sisters win doubles

Three-and-a-half hours after the women’s singles final at Wimbledon, Venus and Serena Williams took to Centre Court again but this time they were on the same side of the net.

The Williams sisters  put sibling rivalry them to win the women’s doubles title in emphatic style.

As the sun dipped down behind Centre Court’s roof, the Serena and Venus teamed up to win their fourth Wimbledon women’s doubles title, defeating Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs of Australia 7-6 6-4.

It was consolation of sorts for Venus, who had lost the women’s singles final to her sister earlier in the day.

Serena beat her older sibling 7-6 6-2 to deny her a hat-trick of Wimbledon singles titles, while at the same time claiming a third Sw19 crown of her own.

Venus has now lost six of the eight grand slam singles finals she has played against Serena, three of them at Wimbledon.

Still, it was a good day for the American ladies.

Serena, when asked about her motivation and attempt to regain the world No. 1 ranking said:

You know, I’m not super motivated. I think if you hold three Grand Slam titles maybe you should be No. 1, but not on the WTA Tour obviously, so…

You know, my motivation is maybe just to win another Grand Slam and stay No. 2, I guess (laughter).

(Note: Despite being eliminated in the semifinals at Wimbledon, Dinara Safina remains No. 1 in the WTA rankings. Go figure).

Power Play: Wimbledon final an all-Williams affair

No surprise here.

Reigning champion Venus Williams demolished world number one Dinara Safina 6-1, 6-0 to set up a clash with her sister Serena in the Wimbledon final.

The five-time Wimbledon champion was in perfect form and brushed aside the first seeded Russian in under an hour while barely breaking a sweat.

Williams began the match with a serve of 112mph, and followed it with the fastest delivery of the tournament at 124mph to consolidate her early break in the second game.  She needed only 51 minutes to demolish Safina and reach her eighth Wimbledon final.

Earlier, Serena Williams beat Elena Dementieva in an epic contest on Centre Court  to set up the fourth all-sister Wimbledon final and eighth meeting in a Grand Slam title match.

Two-time champion Serena saved a match point and overcame Elena Dementieva 6-7 (4), 7-5, 8-6 in 2 hours, 49 minutes – the longest women’s semifinal at Wimbledon in at least 40 years.

Though pushed to the limit by the fourth-seeded Dementieva,  Serena raised her game when she needed in one of the most compelling women’s matches at the All England Club in years. During the course of the match, Serena served 20 aces – the most for a woman at Wimbledon since 2000.

The Williams sisters – who hold 17 Grand Slam titles between them – will face each other Saturday on the Fourth of July.

One Williams or the other has won seven of the past nine championships at the All England Club. Serena beat Venus in the 2002 and ‘03 finals here, while Venus came out on top against her younger sister last year.

Venus is bidding to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win Wimbledon three years in a row.

There have been seven previous all-Williams championship matches at majors, with Serena holding a 5-2 lead. Overall, the sisters are tied 10-10.

The irony is that despite suffering a disgraceful defeat, Safina will remain the world number one regardless of whether Venus or Serena Williams seals victory in the final on Saturday.

Who are you rooting for?

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